Slow Cooker Meatloaf: Comfort Food for Busy Days

This time of year is pretty hectic, with parties, shopping, baking, kids' school events, and work obligations mounting as companies scramble to wrap up the year. Some nights, just getting dinner on the table can feel like the task that will finally send you over the edge. Meanwhile, the weather is cold and snowy, and it gets dark at like 5:01 pm, which makes you crave long-simmering comfort food.

Enter the slow cooker. Most of us use slow cookers for stew-type dishes, but did you know you can make meatloaf in one? Yes, you can, as seen in this easy and flavorful recipe from CDK Kitchen called "Dave's Meatloaf Crock Pot Recipe."

The beauty of the slow cooker is that you spend a few minutes in the morning and end up with a dinner that tastes like you worked on it for hours (this one even uses a few ounces of dark beer, and hey, since it's already open ...). Imagine walking in the house after a cold, wet, long day and smelling this meatloaf cooking ... yum.

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Dave's Meatloaf Crock Pot Recipe

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/4 pound sausage

1/4 cup dark beer

1 egg

2 slices bread -- torn into chunks

1 onion -- chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 dash Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients and gently shape into a round loaf. Place on a trivet in crockpot. Cover and cook on low, about 7 to 8 hours. Serve with tomato sauce or chili sauce. Chill leftovers and slice for sandwiches the next day.